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NEW YORK, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ — The International Longevity Center, with support from MetLife Foundation, has selected 15 community colleges to receive $20,000 grants for caregiver training programs.

The 2009 Community College Training Initiative grants are part of the Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a partnership of the International Longevity Center and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education. The initiative is focused on addressing a growing caregiving crisis by encouraging the expansion of caregiver training programs for family caregivers and in-home care workers. Since 2007, the initiative has awarded 39 grants.

"This initiative has gained tremendous momentum in recent years and this year’s applications were particularly strong," said Dr. Robert N. Butler, president and CEO of the International Longevity Center. "More than ever, people who need quality homecare are having difficulty finding it, and families who often provide care are facing greater challenges balancing work and home responsibilities."

This year’s winners are:

Aiken Technical College (Aiken, South Carolina), to expand its caregiver program to an offsite location in Aiken County, which will assist in-home care agencies to provide quality care for clients and provide a career pathway for in-home caregivers.

Cabrillo College (Aptos, California), to launch a training program that targets direct care workers and family caregivers. The program will offer a combination of lecture, discussion, and experiential learning techniques in Spanish and English.

Clark College (Vancouver, Washington), to create home-based caregiver training through E-learning modules. The modules will provide high definition videos illustrating the proper techniques for home healthcare.

Community College of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), to develop a training program that incorporates multicultural standards into a personal assistant training program for paid and family caregivers.

Eastern Shore Community College (Melfa, Virginia), to establish a network of quality paraprofessionals in eldercare, using a "train-the-trainer" model to individuals or groups who either live with or help provide care to older family members.

Feather River Community College (Quincy, California), to develop a training program to help care for home-bound people with a chronic illness or a disability. Students will be family caregivers or paid care workers employed by Plumas County.

George C. Wallace Community College (Dothan, Alabama), to produce training videos for test preparation, through collaboration with a local healthcare service provider, for those pursuing careers in nursing, long-term care and home health.

Kingsborough Community College (Brooklyn, New York), to introduce a program of "shared training" designed to create a collaborative relationship between family caregivers and home health care workers.

Macomb Community College (Warren, Michigan), to expand its Eldercare Specialist Program beyond the campus, allowing family caregivers to attend on-campus, hands-on caregiver training in a Certified Nursing Assistant lab.

Miami Dade College (Miami, Florida), to establish an Elder Caregiver Educational Institute to provide training in multiple languages, career services, and a networking resource fair. The curriculum will include content on cultural sensitivity.

Monroe Community College (Rochester, New York), for a collaborative effort with two other community colleges that provides skill training to in-home care workers and family caregivers, including a module featured in courses offered by Finger Lakes Community College and Lifespan, an elder services organization.

Parkland Community College (Champaign, Illinois), to provide home health aide certification training to nursing assistants, development workshops for home health care employees, and self-management training for individuals and family caregivers.

Prairie State College (Chicago Heights, Illinois), to provide training to family caregivers and residents seeking caregiving opportunities, in an area where unemployment rates have been above the national average for years.

Southeast Arkansas College (Pine Bluff, Arkansas), to provide classes to train both family caregivers and in-home care workers, offering career opportunities to both the unemployed as well as seniors looking to supplement their retirement income.

Trinity Valley Community College (Athens, Texas), to offer a new training program that provides entry-level access to medical training, which can serve as a "bridge" to other medical training pathways.

"Community colleges are perfectly positioned to help address a growing caregiving crisis," said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. "MetLife Foundation is pleased to support this initiative, which offers much-needed training resources to family caregivers and in-home care professionals."

The International Longevity Center-USA is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan research, education, and policy organization whose mission is to help individuals and societies address longevity and population aging in positive and productive ways, and to highlight older peoples’ productivity and contributions to their families and society as a whole. The organization is part of a multinational research and education consortium, with centers in 11 countries, which work both autonomously and collaboratively to study how greater life expectancy and increased proportions of older people impact nations around the world. For more information, visit www.ilcusa.org/prj/caregiving.htm.

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. In the area of aging, the Foundation funds programs that promote healthy aging and address issues of care giving, intergenerational activities, mental fitness, and volunteerism. More information about MetLife Foundation is available at www.metlife.org.

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